Indie Songs

Indie started as a description of how music was released — on independent labels — and became shorthand for a sound: guitar-driven or lo-fi, often more personal and less polished than the mainstream. This page covers the 2000s indie rock wave of Franz Ferdinand, The Shins, Phoenix and Arctic Monkeys, the psychedelic pop of MGMT and Tame Impala, and the dream pop of Beach House and Cigarettes After Sex. Glass Animals' “Heat Waves” shows how far an indie song can travel on streaming.

There's also a folk-leaning thread, from Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes to the stomp-and-clap choruses of The Lumineers and Of Monsters and Men, plus the moody songwriting of Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Phoebe Bridgers and Hozier. Several of these artists have since signed to major labels, but the sound is what connects them. Choose a song you already love; its page lists tracks with a comparable atmosphere.